The Palo Alto Arts Council will host an exhibition of works by local Wood Crafter John (Tom) Murphy, a lifelong resident of Emmetsburg beginning this Saturday, April 14 and continuing through May 11th in the Emmetsburg Public Library.

After he retired from the telephone company in 1994, Tom decided to get into woodworking on a larger scale.

He started with various jewelry boxes and then moved into intricate vehicles using printed instructions. Eventually he began to design on his own.

From there Tom got involved with intarsia, which is putting small pieces of different kinds of woods together to create a picture.

Tom met Jean Wenell, a woodcrafter from Albert City, who got him involved in turning segmented bowls. He uses his own designs in his bowls utilizing both local and exotic woods.

Tom also likes to make cheese cutters and cutting boards and is always on the lookout for new and challenging projects.

The public is invited to come and share in his hobby at an open house Saturday, April 14th, from 12 to 2 p.m. at the Emmetsburg Library.